Well here we are at another Methotrexate day

 So Welcome to "Freaky Friday"

Well it has been a decent week this week as you could see by Wednesdays Journal.

Thursday 22nd August 2013

Thursday went pretty well, I sent a text to Pauline as usual in the morning but had no reply for a bit so phoned her mobile and she was still out walking Misty, and had got lost in the wooded area, so I think she needs to get a Sat Nav, still they have only been at there new home for two weeks so it will take time for her to get to know her way around the area.

You are going the wrong way Pauline

anyway once I had spoken to Pauline I have porridge for breakfast and then go round to the co-op with the Rollator to get a daily paper and some milk, It is good having the rollator as it means I can walk further than with a walking cane.

"Roland the Rollator"

Once back home I settle down to read the paper before Leanne arrives at 12.30 to come down to the dentist with me for my appointment, the appointment was at 12.50 and by 1.15 we were back out and I had a upper plate with 3 new teeth. Whoo Hoo, mind you will take some getting used to,

anyway we head back home and then Leanne goes of to meet a friend for lunch and I have a tin of soup and a banana before going for a lie down.

Once I have had my lie down I spend the rest of the evening Watching TV. My son Gervase comes in to see me at 6.30 on his way home from work, and at 7.30 I have my Dinner a nice Liver and Bacon with Mash Potato and Gravy, and then I watch the TV until bedtime at 10.30 where I listen to the local radio before getting off to sleep about 12.00 . I am tired after a very enjoyable day.

Friday 23rd August 2013

So here we are back to Friday, where has the week gone to, I have actually got very little done this week, out for 7 hours on Monday with a canadian Relative, Shopping Tuesday, Milton park and the art cafe Wednesday, and Dentist Thursday, so today t will be a quiet day at home with some research into world war one. I have had Canadian and American relatives who fought and also 2 died in france in World war 1 so that is my aim for today. The Canadians from Toronto and also Quebec, and the American Smith from Trenton New Jersey.

Western Front world war 1

However before I start that I text Pauline and then get some Breakfast before going round to get my morning Paper, once back home I read the Paper and do the cross word before settling down to the History Research.

Joseph James smith from Canada, Died in Action France 1916 along
with his Brother who was from Jersey in the Channel Islands UK

Arthur Hubbard who fought in France in World War 1 he returned home in 1917
Arthur lived in Delson, Canada. and was my Grandfathers Brother.

My Maternal and Paternal Grandfathers fought in WW1 with the Royal Navy but today I am researching the war in France and Belgium along the western Front and concentrating on the Canadian and American Relatives/ancestors.

I have got 8 bound volumes of the "Illustrated War News" Published by the "London Illustrated News" covering the period 14th June 1916 through to April 10th 1918 in 96 Parts.
Here are a few of the pages that show photographs of Canadian and American troops on the western Front.

one of the 8 Volumes

The memorial at Vimy Ridge in Memory of the 3,598 Canadians who  died
at the battle of Vimy Ridge. in all there were over 10,000 canadian casualties

In memory of the first U.S Officer struck down in France.

Canadian troops at the front.

American Nurses tend the wounded in France (Paris)

canadians on the western front

The American U-Boat Blockade

The Canadian Capture of Vimy ridge

Stars and Stripes in the City of london

Well that was an interesting few of hours of research into WW1, I will do a bit more tonight, but now it is time to get todays journal completed and posted before Pointless on TV and then dinner at 6.00 so until tomorrow I will say tatty bye,

So Far so Good this week

Well after a really crap weekend of Methotrexate and Constipation At last I can honestly say that I am not yet ready to "Roll over and let this Myositis take over my life". So In the words of the Frank Sinatra Song "I did it My Way"

As most of you know I had a pretty rough three days this weekend but I was determined not to miss meeting up with a Distant relative from Canada who was visiting the UK and who I had arranged to meet on Monday, so as the words from the 1936 song by Jerome Kern goes, it was a case of "Pick myself up, Dust myself down and Start all over again"

Quite a musical Journal today isn't it.....................

Following the chat with my GP on Friday I have increased the Lactulose Dose which is so much better for me and also since friday I have increased my prednisolone from 10 mg alternate days to 10 mg every day and feel like a new man so the first achievement  was to go with Pauline and Gordon to Meet Dean Hubbard and his Daughter Hayley who are over from Canada on Monday.

Monday 19th August 2013

We met them at Portsmouth harbour railway station at 11.00 am and spent the day in old portsmouth with them until the caught the Train back to London at 6.00 pm a very enjoyable 7 hours.

Me and Dean looking at Family photo,s in the Cafe at Portsmouth Dockyard

Dean, Hayley and me with HMS Victory in the background. Portsmouth Dockyard

Dean and Hayley at the top of the Spinnaker tower, Gunwharf Quays Portsmouth

Gordon in the stocks at Portsmouth Dockyard

Pauline and Hayley at the Historic dockyard with HMS Warrior in the background.

Lunch at the Slug and lettuce in Gunwharf Quays

Dean and Hayley on the shore at Old Portsmouth, Isle of Wight in the distance.

Dean and Hayley on the waterfront at Gunwharf Quays.

Memorial to the British and Canadian Royal Navy,s for Minesweepers and Escorts.

Quebec house, Bath Square, Old Portsmouth,

Bath Square was one of the earliest known sites for the recreational use of salt water, which took place in what is now Quebec House.

The bathing house was built in 1754, with the baths connected to the harbour by pipes.

The name Quebec House comes from the 19th century when the bathing house became part of the Quebec Hotel – so called because its weatherboarding was used chiefly in the North American colonies.

The building was saved from falling into the sea by John Henry Pounds.

So all in all Monday was a very enjoyable day but also very tiring so it was early to bed on Monday night.

Tuesday 20th August 2013

Well after a really great day yesterday , today it is another Tuesday shopping day, Pauline and gordon came down at about 11.00 o,clock and while gordon stayed at my flat to give it the weekly clean, Pauline and I went down to the city centre to get some shopping and pick up a prescription from boots, it was a decent couple of hours out in the sunshine and I got the shopping today to take me through until I go out shopping with Gervase on Sunday, I am still taking 10 mg of Prednisolone every day up until thursday as we are out shopping today and I have dentist on Thursday so I will go back to 10 mg on alternate days on Friday, but will have a chat with my Neurologist when I see him in a fortnight about going back to 10 mg Prednisolone every day, at least that way I can Function and have a decent quality of daily life.

Shopping in the Arundel Street Precinct, City Centre

Pauline,s Favourite Charity Shop in the Arundel Street Precinct

Once we had got all the shopping we wanted we get a Taxi back home where Gordon makes the coffee and then after a chat Pauline and Gordon head home, and I make a coffee and then settle down with the TV until dinner at 6.00 . One thing is that I kept getting told of by Pauline today as she was pushing me around Tesco in the wheelchair as I kept singing the chorus from the 1988 "Prefab Sprout song "King of Rock N Roll" but kept changing the words from " ♬♬♬Hot dog, Jumping Frog, Albuquerque♬♬♬" to "♬♬♬ Big bum,s, Wobbly tum,s, down at Tesco ♬♬♬". and if you shop in Tesco or Asda in Portsmouth, you will know what I mean.

Wednesday 21st August 2013

So here we are at Wednesday and still feeling Good so after a decent nights sleep and a chat to Pauline I decide to go for a stroll with the Rollator and went down to get my Paper and some Milk and ended up in Milton Market, so went into Bransbury park and had a coffee in the "Art Cafe" and sat in the garden for half an hour reading the Paper before strolling back home, where I had a coffee and a lie down. a most enjoyable Morning so thank you Prednisolone.

The Art Cafe, Bransbury Park, Milton, Portsmouth

The Garden in bloom at Bransbury Park

After I had my lie down I made a coffee and then my Brother Pat came in to see me for an hour, it is a couple of months since I last saw Pat , although we do speak on the phone, he was down in Portsmouth doing some work so came in for a chat and a cup of tea, once pat had left I had a spot of lunch and then got started on todays Journal.

It is now 4.20 so I am going to get this journal finished and posted and then settle down to watch some TV until dinner at 7.00 and an evening of TV. so all in all increasing my Prednisolone up to 10 mg a day is the way I need to go and also by increasing my Lactulose to 10 ml twice a day my digestion and bowel movement has improved and also I have not needed to take my Lansoprazole as I am not getting the acid reflux so probably the lactulose has helped in that. so I think that as I said at the beginning I will do what my body tells me to do and do it My Way.

So until the next journal on Freaky Friday I will say....................

Thanks a lot Myositis,................

You really know how to make a person feel like crap.

That this is such a short and negative Journal, but I thought that I would just write and post it for all my regular readers so that I will not be so complaining when I write the the proper one on Tuesday.

What a really Rubbish weekend this has been

It all really started on Thursday when I had to phone the GP to let her know that I was still having problems with my constipation, which is something I have had problems with since I was diagnosed with Dermatomyositis over 2 years ago. so anyway it appears that I have been taking the wrong dose of Lactulose I should have been taking 2 x 5 ml twice daily. once in the morning and once in the evening and I was prescribed 2 x 5 ml once daily in the evenings, Oh well it has only taken them 2 years to get it right,

Ah Thats Better

And then on Friday it was time for the daily dose of Methotrexate, and that really did a job on me this weekend, so what with the constipation, the Methotrexate and the fatigue and muscle ache from the tapering of the Prednisolone I have really not been 100% this weekend, hence the lack of interest in facebook and the daily Journal. 

Oh Woe is me.

 The ironic thing about this stupid disease is I spent over 12 months trying to get food down my throat starting with a Nasal feeding tube, then a puree diet and then a soft lumps diet and 2 years down the line I can now get it down but have trouble getting it back out the other end.

Oh Well that is how my weekend has panned out, one other thing that I have done is to increase my Prednisolone from the 10 mg on alternate days to 10 mg every day, this has certainly helped and made me feel so much better, so I will tell my Neurologist when I see him in two weeks that I have given 10 mg on alternate days a fair chance and it has just made me incapable of doing things that I could manage to do when I was on 10 mg a day. I have talked it through with my GP and he agree,s that I need to do what is best for me and he agrees with my assumption that I probably need the 10 mg Daily to give me the quality of life that I need on a daily basis, and to be quite honest I will be 70 years old in October so I do not think that the benefits of the Prednisolone will outweigh the negative impact of any side effects.

Well there we go then I feel a lot better today than I have since Thursday so must be getting there slowly so I will shut up now and leave you all in peace until Tuesdays edition so I will leave you all with one thought.............

And always have...................................

Too much cake eaten on Wednesday.

Good morning one and all and..................

Well here we are on another Thursday morning, well the weather here on the south coast has once again changed and last night was very close and humid as is this morning, the sky is very overcast and apparently there is rain and hight winds on the way the only problem is the weather people do not seem to be sure when it will reach us. anyway here is what I have been up to yesterday and today.

Wednesday 14th August 2013

Wednesday started like most other days here with me, I slept pretty well tuesday night after another evening of staying up late watching the Film "Inferno" a 1999 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme

"Inferno" 1999

well once the film had finished at 11.00 I made my way to bed and as I said, I slept pretty well and although I woke about 3.30 for the bathroom I slept through until about 7.45. At 8.00 I made my way into the lounge and sent the morning text to Pauline, who phones back at about 9.00 to say that all was Ok with them and they would be down today about 12.00 as we are going to go down to the Tenth hole tearoom at southsea where we will meet Gervase and leanne, for a coffee and a chat which will be nice.

Pauline Phones about 9.00 am

so once I have spoken to Pauline I get on the laptop and check out my email,s and facebook and then I go and have a shower and get ready for when Pauline and Gordon arrive just after 12.00.

We have a coffee and then Gervase Phones to say that they are running a bit late but will be there at about 12.40 so that is Ok  once we have had a coffee and a chat we make our way to the Tenth Hole where Gervase and Leanne have already arrived and secured a table. Once there we choose what we want to eat and drink and have a nice couple of hours chatting and enjoying the company, we then make our way back home about 2.30.

Entrance to the Tenth Hole Tea Room. (Stock Image)

I enjoyed my chocolate Cake "Yummy"

Gervase and Leanne

Gordon and Pauline

Gervase, Leanne and pauline outside the Tenth Hole tea rooms.

Once back home I make a coffee and after a chat Pauline and Gordon head back home and I go for a lie down until 4.30  when I get up and prepare the vegetable for dinner before settling down with a coffee to watch Pointless on TV, I get dinner at 6.30 and then settle down to an evening with the TV until 10.30 when I make my way to bed. The end of a very nice day with Family and friends.

Thursday 15th August 2013

So after a very enjoyable day yesterday, where I think I ate to much cake a had a bit of a restless night again, I think a lot of it is to do with the humidity at the moment, what we need is a good old rain storm to clear and freshen up the air, although I have read today in the paper that the weather is supposed to be getting very warm again for next weekend  the 24th /26th which is a 3 day bank holiday here in the UK

Another heat wave on the way

anyway I woke up about 7.30 ish this morning and got up, made a coffee and went back to bed until 8.30 when I got up and went into the lounge to send the morning text to Pauline.

Sending the morning text to Pauline.

Pauline phones back to say that all is Ok and that Gordon left at 7.30 this morning to go to Salisbury for two days. Once we have had a chat, I check out my emails and facebook and then get some porridge and a banana for breakfast and then watch "Heir Hunters" until 10.00 when I go and get washed and dressed before taking a walk with the rollator down to the local co-op to get my morning Paper and also a couple of Sausage rolls for lunch later on.

Local co-op store at Devonshire Square (Stock Photo)

Once I had my Paper I get back home and make a coffee and settle down in the recliner to read the paper and do the crossword, before listening to the local radio while sorting out some of my Local history archive material that I have on Fareham, where I was Born in 1943 and lived until moving into Portsmouth in the early 1970,s when I me my late wife Christine.

Some of my Archive photographs of Fareham

Fareham Railway station approach and Titchfield road 1906

Fareham railway station approach and titchfield road 2013

Fareham West street 1948

Fareham West street 2013

Trinity Church, West Street Fareham (mum and dad got Married here)

Trinity Church, West Street Fareham 2013

Fareham Cams Mill, 1915

The same area now, only thing remaining is the Viaduct 2013

I have my Sausage rolls for lunch at about 1.30 before going for a lie down for an hour. Once up I get the vegetable prepared for tonight,s dinner and then get this Daily Journal finished and Published. I got quite a bit of sorting out of the archives today, but still so much to get done, anyway I am making progress, and not before time, anyway that is about it for today so until the next journal on Saturday I will say............